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The boys of Hometown were getting into an elevator. All were tired from the day full of interviews and small performances. Now at the hotel they all want sleep.
They all gather in the elavator and Ryan hits the correct button but after going up a few floors they suddenly stop and the lights flicker for a few moments
"What just happened?" Josh asks after a moment or two.
"I think the elevator is stuck." Ryan answers as he presses buttons but nothing happened.
Right as Cian goes to press the help button, the power goes out.
"Damn." Cian mutters, taking his phone out and turning the flashlight on. He tries to get reception but he has no luck.
Dayl looks behind him and can see Brendan sitting on the floor, shaking.
"Hey Bren you okay? What's wrong?" Dayl asks Brendan. He's crying and breathing heavily.
He reaches out to touch Brendan's shoulder but the younger boy jumps and looks at him. Dayl can see how scared Brendan is but he doesn't know what to do. He's never dealt with somebody having a panic attack before until now.
"Hey guys." Dayl yells keeping his attention on Brendan who's now rocking back and forth crying.
They turn their heads to Dayl. Their eyes going wide when they see Brendan. They were all frozen until Dean broke away and walked the small distance to where Brendan was. He sits behind Brendan and puts his arms around the boy. Despite Brendan struggling, he was able to place the boy in his lap.
"Hey you're okay Bren. You're okay." He says "
We're trapped, we're never getting out." Brendan mutters as Dean tightens his grip on the shaking boy.
"We'll get out soon kiddo. I promise." Dean answers kissing Brendan's head as he continues to cry and mutter no.
"But you've got to calm down for me okay? Can you do that?" Dean asks whispering. The rest of the boys stand there in shock and in awe. Brendan shakes his head no and Dean kisses his head again
"I need to get out. I don't want to be in here anymore." Brendan cries. Ryan tries the help button again but it still doesn't work.
"We will soon Bren. We'll get you out don't worry." Dayl says kneeling infront of where Dean and Brendan are. He makes sure he's not scaring Brendan.
"You need to calm down Bren. You're okay. I promise." Dean says making sure Brendan hears what he's saying. Brendan takes a shaky breath and nods. Soon his crying has decreased to sniffs and deep shaking breathes.
"There you go kiddo, you're doing good. Just breathe and soon we'll be out of here." Dean says smiling at the younger boy who does what he says.
The rest of the boys move closer but not too close. Seeing Brendan is just recovering from a panic attack, they don't want to cause him to have another. Brendan finally calms down and wipes at his face. Not moving from Dean's lap he stares at the ground waiting for somebody to say something.
"You okay Bren?" Josh asks placing a hand on the older boys knee. Brendan nods but still doesn't look up. Josh takes it as a good sign that he didn't jump at the contact so Josh doesn't move his hand.
"Here, have some water." Ryan says opening a bottled water and handing it to Brendan. He takes it silently and takes a few sips. He gives it back to Ryan and takes a deep breath
"Hey, you okay now?" Cian asks. Before Brendan could say anything. Dean interjected
"It was a panic attack right?"
"Y-yeah." Brendan stammers. "It was a serious one.
"You've had them before?" Josh demends giving his knee a soft squeeze
"I have them but I don't know what caused it." Brendan answered. "Even then, it seemed like I can't calm myself down."
"You're okay now, we'll get out of this elevator soon. Don't worry." Ryan says. Brendan nods, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
"How did you know what to do Dean?" Josh asks.
"When we first got together as a band. Bren had one before our first performance and I calmed him down."
The boys all nod in understanding. Sooner than later the door opens, the light of the elevator turning on.
"How long do you think we'll be in here?" Cian asks out loud. Ryan shrugs.
"Hopefully soon. It's been a long day for us."
They sit in silence making small talk. Sooner than later the door opens and the lights turn on. The boys sigh relieved and stand up.
"Thank god." Dayl mutters as they leave the elevator. Dean has an arm around Brendan as they head to their shared room.
The boys say goodnight and head to their rooms. Ryan looks at Brendan then at Dean. Dean nods understanding what he's saying. He looks at the said boy and sees how tired he is. He smiles fondly and opens the door.
"C'mon Bren, let's get you to bed."
After laying down, Dean sits next to him and combs his fingers through his unruly hair.
"Thanks Dean. For earlier." Brendan says.
"No need to thank me kiddo, I'm always here. Now get some sleep. You're exhausted." Dean says smiling as Brendan listens falling asleep. He waits until he knows Brendan is actually asleep when he gets into his bed.
Panic attacks are scary especially if you're the one having one. But Dean know Brendan will always have him or the boys to be there for him when he has one.